There is a great unmet medical need for agents that more safely, effectively, and reliably treat viral infections, from HIV to the common cold. This includes a major need for better agents to treat human cytomegalovirus (where current agents suffer from significant toxicity and lack of efficacy), herpes simplex virus (where current agents are beneficial but provide incomplete relief), influenza A (where resistance to current agents is rampant), and hepatitis C virus (where many patients die from poor disease control). It further includes a major need for agents that work across a spectrum of viruses, facilitating their clinical use without necessarily requiring identification of the underlying pathogen.